Kurtz stresses importance of vote

Comment

By Roland Stoy

The Daily Reporter - Coldwater, MI

By Roland Stoy

Posted Aug. 30, 2012 at 11:01 AM

By Roland Stoy
Posted Aug. 30, 2012 at 11:01 AM

Coldwater, Mich.

rstoy@thedailyreporter.comCOLDWATER — Elections are important, but state Rep. Ken Kurtz, R-Coldwater, told a gathering on Monday night he believes this November election will be "pivotal."Speaking to a meeting of the Common Sense Patriots (Tea Party) at the Community Health Center volunteer conference room, he noted the tendency of people to vote in a superficial manner."This is not the year to do that," he said.Kurtz said voters should take the time to investigate, in addition to other races and all the ballot issues, state Supreme Court candidates and noted of those who are elected as regents and trustees of universities, "They handle your money."Speaking to the Probate Court judgeship candidates featured at the meeting, he said "We probably won’t go wrong with either one of them."Attorney Kirk Kashian won the coin toss and had his bio read first by host Blaine Katz, who characterized him and attorney Chuck Lillis as "very well-qualified candidates."Their biographies have both been printed in The Daily Reporter.Kashian noted that when people vote for someone who is elected, "I don’t always think we get what we think we’re going to get."He said he is running because he is qualified, and while he may have made more money in other areas of law, he will continue to be concerned with public service.He quoted Sean Hannity, "Not everything in life is about you."Kashian, spoke to estates, juvenile delinquency, abuse, neglect and said of the truancy program, he would expand on that.Lillis said he intends to "think outside the box" and has a vision for the court that would make it "a healing court."He envisions a support group for victims of abuse, both young and old, and said "We can do things to stop putting kids in foster care."Lillis said he would expand on the Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program initiated by Probate Judge Fred Wood.He said of the programs he has in mind, they will not cost the taxpayers "one cent," and said "Branch County takes care of its own."Kashian said his opponent’s ideas are "commendable," but on the other hand, that he knows "from experience, it is not always easy to get people to volunteer."While Lillis has spoken often to "thinking outside the box" given his 26 years of experience with probate matters, Kashian spoke to some of his accomplishments and said "I have been in the box, outside the box, and around the block."Lillis also said "We can do better in day programs," and advanced the idea of a mentoring program for young parents.Touching on a national issue involving pervasive abuse, he said "This community is not going to tolerate a Jerry Sandusky."State Sen. Bruce Caswell, R-Hillsdale, also attended the meeting, talking to the politically active in the audience about the value of getting out and "knocking on doors," and held forth on Senate Bill 1040, regarding pensions and retiree health insurance in the Michigan Public Schools Employees Retirement System.Caswell is at SenBCaswell@senate.michigan.gov.Brady in TampaKatz was in for Barb Brady, who as an alternate delegate, is in Tampa for the GOP convention. Dee Ann Pann said Letha Van Blarcom, who is with Brady, said "We are having a ball."